Japlish
Walter Amos (amos@sedl.org)
Sat, 15 Mar 1997 12:50:00 -0600 (CST)
On Fri, 14 Mar 1997, avatar wrote:
> > the names :) Aha! finally, a way to explain the Japlish!
>
> Please don't take this the wrong way since I'm not out to make accusations
> nor make inference about anyone here on this list. The fact that our
> taste in anime does credit to our sensibilities. Call it a note from an
> anal Cal student or what have you but please don't use the abbreviation of
> the term Japanese/Japan in the shortened "Jap" Hear alot of it out there
> like Jap anime. And although I'm sure that there is not harm in t (whats
> in a name?), it is by itself not altogether PC due to a certain recent
> episode in American history. Thanks.
Well this is a new one. I've seen debate before on the desirability of the
term "Japanimation", but I've never before seen a complaint about "Japlish".
I understand the generally positive nature of your observation is to avoid
giving offense, but what term should we use to describe the "fractured English
frequently found in Japanese animation and elsewhere"? By extension from this
argument, any word or phrase incorporating only the first syllable of "Japan"
should be taboo. The only other word I've heard used to substitute for
Japlish is "Engrish", however putting this in common use would be difficult
because (a) "Japlish" is the far more widely known term and (b) in typing this
most people would assume the "r" is merely a typo.
I think perhaps our standard of what is offensive and what's not should not be
dictated by our collective guilt over what we perceive as historical
injustices, but rather by what the minority in question feel. Does anybody
know whether the Japanese themselves mind the occasional use of the first
syllable of the Anglic name for their country? For all *I* know it may mean
nothing to them and all this debate and gnashing of teeth results only from
our own misplaced guilt over our views of our ancestors.
And out of curiosity, what "recent episode in American history" are you
referring to? World War 2? If so you have a slightly different standard of
"recent" than me. And in not mentioning its name, does this carry the
suggestion that our participation in WW2 was in error? Now don't get me wrong
from what I imagine the tone of this letter is coming out like - I am all in
favor of using positive non-offensive terminology if the people in question
don't like a phrase in common use. I just think this trend can be carried too
far. And the suggestion (though I am still not sure that the author of the
previous post is suggesting this, and if he is not I apologize, but in any
case I *have* heard this view from some anime fans) that US participation in
the Pacific theater in WW2 was intrinsically evil and therefore something we
should feel collective guilt over is so patently ludicrous as to hardly bear
discussion. And I say this not out of some brainless gung-ho patriotism, but
out of a reasoned consideration of historical forces.
Anyway, this is getting quite off the subject. In short, if we intend to have
a serious discussion on the "Japlish" problem, I think we should both agree on
what if any substitute word to use and try to determine if anyone affected
even cares about this.
==============================================================================
"Zu jeder Zeit, an jeder (sic) Ort, bleibt das Tun | Walter Amos
der Menschen das gleiche..." - Galactic Heroes II | amos@sedl.org